The American Hustle hunk will play John Merrick, a despondent man living with terrible physical deformities, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Bernard Pomerance's award-winning 1977 play was famously adapted for the big screen by David Lynch in 1980 starring John Hurt. But unlike the film, the stage show sees the lead actor suggest the deformities through his performance, rather than relying on prosthetic make-up.

Bradley has already starred in the production in 2012 as part of the Williamstown Theatre Festival. It is not yet known if Patricia Clarkson - who played Mrs Kendal, the actress who befriends Merrick - or Alessandro Nivola - who played Dr Treves and also co-stars in American Hustle, will join Bradley in the revival.

The last time The Hangover star appeared on Broadway was in 2006 when he earned good reviews for his performance alongside Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd in Three Days Of Rain.

Billy Crudup starred in a Broadway revival of The Elephant Man in 2002, and earned a Tony nomination for his performance.